After Iran’s nuclear agreement with the 5+1 group of countries, known as JCPOA, the US President signed a law that posed a serious threat to Iran’s tourism industry. The law allows the citizens of 38 countries, mostly European ones, to visit the US for up to 90 days without a visa – unless they are relevant dual nationals. The new legislation of the US Congress was signed by President Obama in a budget bill under the pretext of combating the threat of terrorism. Those who have traveled to Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan after March 2011 will require new permits. Undoubtedly, new act of the US Congress has targeted Iran’s tourism industry, causing European tourists who were interested in visiting Iran during the last few years to be uncertain in a bid to reduce tourism GDP increased in the last decade and to prevent the rapid growth of the tourism economy in Iran.
Not long ago, the first international conference on urban economy was held and organized by Iran Urban Economics Scientific Association (IUESA). The result of a research entitled “forecasting the share of Tehran’s tourism economy of GDP considering the law on the abolition of the US visa” indicated that the recent law has significant impact on Iran’s tourism industry, particularly Tehran.
Seyyed Mohsen Tabatabaei, Secretary of Iran Urban Economics Scientific Association (IUESA), said that the results of a research presented at the first international conference on urban economy indicate that the law on the abolition of the US visa can reduce tourism share of Tehran’s GDP between 3 to 15 percent.
MS/PR